Soup Kitchen to move into new $1.2 million building on property

By TREVOR ANDERSONtrevor.anderson@shj.com

Wednesday

Oct 28, 2009 at 12:01 AM

The Second Presbyterian Church Soup Kitchen will move out of the church gymnasium where it has operated for almost three decades and into a new $1.2 million 10,000-square-foot building on the property.

A line of about 500 hungry people stood in the rain outside the Second Presbyterian Church Soup Kitchen off North Church Street on Tuesday.

It served as a backdrop for the soup kitchen and city officials to announce a project that is expected to provide the growing number of needy Spartanburg County residents with a place at the table.The project involves an expansion of the facility. The soup kitchen will move out of the church gymnasium where it has operated for almost three decades and into a new $1.2 million 10,000-square-foot building on the property."It's time to do something bigger together," said Lou Landrum, who has served as director of the Soup Kitchen since 2001. "It is official now and we're hoping that from this day forward, people will remember us for the service that we provide here. This will help us help those in need."And it's not just the homeless asking for help anymore, she said. Families, young couples and folks Landrum called "the working poor" are turning up, evidenced by increasing number of cars that are parked outside every day."It's very sad, but we won't ever ask questions," Landrum said. "You show up and you get fed. That is our promise."Members of the Second Presbyterian Church at 438 N. Church St. founded the soup kitchen in 1982 to give aid to homeless persons who were sleeping around the church gymnasium. They started by feeding 15 people three square meals per day.Fast-forward 27 years and the lines have gotten longer indeed, particularly since the recession hit the Upstate last year.The Rev. Steve Rhodes said on average, more than 400 people, including 40 to 50 children, are served daily from the kitchen, which prepares its meals in a room that is smaller than most residential kitchens."I don't think (the founders) ever imagined what it would be like today or where we would be in terms of the number of people who are being fed," he said. "We have outgrown this building."

Rhodes said the church needs 90 percent of the funds for the project pledged in order to move forward with construction. He said more than $500,000 has been raised so far, and he is hopeful the rest of the funds will come in by the time construction is planned to begin this spring."I'm very confident the community will respond and we'll get this," Rhodes said. "The need is going to be greater (given the current economic climate) and we need to go ahead."He said the church has donated a piece of property directly behind the gym for the new soup kitchen. Artist renderings show it as being a fairly modest square brick building that fits in well with the historic church.Landrum said it will include seating for about 360 people, an expanded kitchen, a children's area and some other components, such as a career consulting and training center and space for the soup kitchen's clothing program."I'm absolutely pleased to be a small part of this celebration," said Spartanburg Mayor Bill Barnet. "I wish that we did not need this service and this facility every day, but that is unfortunately not the case. This is a wonderful day and we give thanks to those who are helping to quell the need in our community."

Johnny Watson, 50, ate lunch while the announcement was being made. He said he was reluctant to celebrate the news."Sounds good, but you can't go by anything until it happens," Watson said. "A lot of promises are being made, but nothing is being done."Watson said his feelings, which were echoed by many of his fellow soup kitchen patrons, have been shaped by the difficulty in finding a job and suitable housing in recent months.He said the soup kitchen has been a dependable institution for him.

"Trust me, this is a big help to everybody," Watson said. "Without this place a lot of people would go hungry, even myself."He said he often sleeps in abandoned houses or storage units."There ain't no work," Watson said."If a man can make $150 a week, he can get shelter and depend on the soup kitchen for something to eat."Watson dined on a lunch of fried chicken, broccoli casserole, macaroni and cheese and fried okra. He expected it to be his last meal of the day."This is it," he said. "I ain't got no money. You just try to fill up as much as you can till the next day."

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